How UK tech firms can silence predictions of Brexit doom

May 11, 2017 · cityam.com

Flattening investment levels, imploding unicorns, employees worried about the future of their visa status. These are not the characteristics of a thriving, successful tech ecosystem, but they are becoming the new reality for London’s digital community.

For the past few years, the story of London tech has been one of record levels of investment, scaleup successes and rapid job creation. After years of speculation about the city’s ability to create world-beating tech companies, we had been building solid momentum to become a globally competitive digital ecosystem.

For the first time since Tech London Advocates started surveying its community of 4,600 tech experts, however, a shortage of talent is no longer perceived as the single biggest challenge facing the capital’s digital businesses. Market uncertainty is now what keeps many tech entrepreneurs awake at night.

This could spark a crisis of confidence among the very people who provide the fuel for the industry’s growth, the investors, as they question the sector’s ability to overcome the challenges of a re-negotiated regulatory, trade and employment landscape.